


RMEN: Volume One

by Dice_Reads



Series: RMEN [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Character Swap, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, How Do I Tag, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, RMEN AU, he is chaotic good, roman straight up just steals from someone in the first chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:40:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29152152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dice_Reads/pseuds/Dice_Reads
Summary: RMEN, composed of Roman Torchwick, Mercury Black, Emerald Sustrai and Neo Politan, are Huntsmen and Huntresses in training at the presitigious Beacon Academy. Friends and foes are around every corner, and there’s more evil than you can shake a shotgun-cane at! But nothing’s coming between this motley crew and their goal of saving Remnant.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Cinder Fall/Hazel Rainart, Mercury Black/Emerald Sustrai, Neopolitan/Roman Torchwick, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee, Tyrian Callows/Arthur Watts
Series: RMEN [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2139885
Comments: 9
Kudos: 12





	1. Roman Torchwick

The ringing of the little bell over the top of the door was the first weird thing about that night. He was perfectly aware that no-one came in at this time. Other than him. Not for less than nefarious reasons.

The second weird thing was the lack of greeting from the man at the desk. The shopkeep of Dust til Dawn was too friendly to leave it out. Pocketing the fire Dust crystals and sliding the ice Dust vials up his sleeves – he wasn’t an idiot – he grabbed the rim of his bowler hat and tugged it down a little, peeking backwards to spy the newcomers. A long red cape immediately tipped him off and he had to stifle a groan.

Ruby Rose.

And judging by the purple bandanas around the henchmen’s necks and biceps, the people beside her weren’t exactly friends. Ruby plucked her cigarette from between her lips, tossing it to the ground. 

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a Dust shop open this late?” she sneered, dulled silver eyes narrowing a little over her scar and her smile broadening to something bright and sunny. A flick of her hand and a gun was cocked and pointed directly between the eyes of the shopkeep, his hands flying up, voice shaky. 

“Take the Lien and go!”

“Oh. No no no, we’re not looking for your money, you can chill out.” Her smile flattened. “Boys, be a bunch of dolls and grab the Dust, would you?” On command the henchmen dispersed to various aisles and containers, grabbing any Dust they could and storing it in briefcases fitted with various indents. Some of them even had those expensive collectors right from James Ironwood’s catalogue, hot damn. A couple of the guys stuck by their boss, though, to unlatch more briefcases and direct the shopkeep to the crystals they needed. 

Nothing cheap, either. If this was what good intimidation got you, maybe he should start travelling with his brother.

Before long one guy had noticed him and was making his way over. Gently grabbing a magazine and beginning to flip through, it was easy to pass off not hearing all the ridiculous threats the henchman was throwing his way, especially with his earbuds. Not enough, however, for the henchman to leave him alone completely. Suddenly he was being turned around roughly, the white collar of his coat flicking out his bangs, and the earbuds were yanked out of his ears. 

“Can I help you?”

“Hands up. Now!”

“Are you … seriously robbing me right now?”

A pause.

“Yes!”

“Alright.”

The next thing he knew, he was being fired at by a different guy, with the first slumped against the door. A swift kick propelled by Melodic Cudgel and he was soaring through the window, shattering the glass, with the second henchman on his foot and a grin of pure glee plastered across his lips. The cane got slanted against his shoulder before twirling it around and striking it to the ground. 

Ruby scrunched her eyebrows. “Okay …” She shot an uninterested look to her remaining henchmen that quickly turned exasperated. “Get him!”

Each one of them came at the ginger boy at once. He promptly spun on the top of his cane’s hilt and kicked the first square in the jaw before kicking Melodic Cudgel off the ground and firing it to hit another with the handle, sending the second henchman flying. Firing again, he bought the barrel down on one attacker and dodged each of the next’s bullets with the cane’s agility, getting close enough to knock him down to Ruby’s feet.

Cigarette ash flickered onto the discarded henchman’s face. “You were worth every penny, truly you were.” The new cigarette got tucked behind Ruby’s ear, her bangs scooped away to reveal the true expanses of her scar. Police sirens in the background prompted the reveal of her scythe as well. “Well, Candlelight, I think we can all say it’s been an eventful evening, and as much as I’d love to stuck around …” The scythe became a sniper rifle, the barrel pointed directly Roman’s abdomen. “This is where I leave you.” The kid was able to avoid the flaming bullet by balancing on his cane, but upon landing he noticed the stream of rose petals soaring up a fire escape.

“Hey, hi!” He waved frantically to the onlooking shopkeeper. “You okay if I chase her?” A quick nod and he was off.

The criminal’s dress shoes clacked against the floor of the roof, hair whipping in the wind. Soon after coarse combat shoes scuffled up the fire escape and joined her, their owner staring Ruby down and panting slightly. “Persistent little thief …” Grabbing the railing of a rising Bullhead, Ruby grinned and let her rifle rest against her shoulder for a second before throwing down a yellow Dust gem. “See you in hell, Candlelight!” She fired a single bullet at the crystal and it exploded instantly, sending an explosion of sparks and bolts coarsing towards the small boy. A steady and impish cackle erupted from Ruby’s throat untiul she realised no screams of pain were following. Instead, something blue and shiny cast light on the Bullhead.

A young man – late 20s at least – in a cobalt cape appeared in front of the white-coated boy, the latter’s eyes widened in simultaneous fear and admiration. The young man’s circle of protection absorbed back into his scepter, which waved and summoned several streaks of blue to hurtle toward the aircraft. After being thrown around a little, Ruby clambered to the cockpit, frantically shaking the shoulder of her armoured accomplice as he wrestled with the controls.   
“Handle the Huntsman, for the love of god!” Groaning the man ran for the back of the ship as Ruby gripped the controls. Glowing blue for a second, the young man on the roof fired off another blast, instead hitting the air above the craft to generate a storm cloud and large chunks of jagged hail that pummeled through the jet at all angles. 

The man in armour reached the back of the ship before his arms and chest lit up like beacons, violent bursts of energy flying for his adversary only to be blocked easily. Said energy blasts scattered and exploded on the roof, the young man in blue keeping out of the explosion range with a backflip. The debris collected in blue telekinetic ribbons to form a large arrow that shattered thanks to the blasts of gold from the armoured man. A quick aerial lean to the side and Ruby was able to dodge the smaller, recollected arrows, but after their second reformation a wide ring of gold expanded out across the air and reduced the arrows to flecks of Aura. Finally taking action, the boy behind the Huntsman started firing off shot at the man, who redirected each of them with the flick of a hand and instead generates a series of yellow orbs around his two opponents. The Huntsman, swiping with his scepter to knock his ally away, rolled out of the explosion radius.  
Just in time to see the hatch of the Bullhead close as it flew away.

A sigh escaped the Huntsman’s lips and he turned to the tiny ginger fighter next to him … who was still on the ground, surrounded by shattered vials of blue, yellow and green Dust as well as a rainbow of crystals he was trying to collect. He turned the young man with a pout.

“Look what you did to my merchandise!”

Ten minutes and a continuing rant later, he was sat still pouting in a dark room, a pair of handcuffs on the table ahead of him and the Huntsman in question pacing around, dodging the single lightbulb on the ceiling. The computer tablet in the Huntsman’s hand blipped before he turned back to the small thief. 

“I hope you realise your actions won’t be taken lightly, young man. You put the area and yourself in great danger, not to mention all that Dust you took.”

Fiddling with his scarf, the boy retorted, “They started it! And I was gonna pay eventually.”

“If it were entirely up to me,” the Huntsman continued as if nothing else had been said. “you’d be sent home with all that Dust …” the boy’s only visible eye lit up a bit and he smiled. “and an arrest warrant.” The smile fell and he folded his arms again. Lowering his tablet, the Huntsman raised his voice slightly as he kept going. “However there is someone who would like to meet you.”

He resumed his pacing, slower this time, and a woman in a deep purple, floor-length dress came through the doorway he was blocking, holding a teacup and a plate of pumpkin tarts. A smile decorated her black lips and she leaned in to peer at her new interviewee. “Roman Torchwick …” Roman’s eyes flitted between the woman and the man in blue and he gulped. “You .. have colourful veins.” Roman promptly brushed his bangs to make sure his eye was covered appropriately, same with his neckscarf. 

Apparently noticing his discomfort, the woman straightened up and looked down at him with a lighter, more amused gaze.

“So! Where did you learn to do this?” She gestured lightly to the tablet in the Huntsman’s hands, now displaying surveillance footage of Roman’s fighting. 

He wringed his hands and stammered, “Suh-Signal Academy, ma’am.”

“So they were ones who taught you to modify a day-to-day object into a dangerous weapon?”

“One professor in particular, ma’am.” Suddenly Roman was a little more prideful in statements, eyes closed in smugness.

The woman hummed and settled the pumpkin tarts on the table in front of him. Glancing quickly up, he shoved one into his mouth and, upon seeing no rebuttal, began gobelling them down at rapidfire speed. “It’s just that I’ve only ever seen one other Hunter with that finesse before. An old vintage flavour ..”

Mumbling through his mouthful, Roman perked up. “Oh! That’s my aunt!” Upon receiving the glare from the blue Huntsman, he swallowed and wiped around his mouth, embarrassed and giggling a little. “Sorry, sorry. That’s my Aunt Coco! She’s a professor at Signal. I was kind of a mess before she took me under her stride. And now, I’m all like – ” He trailed off into a series of karate noises, his hands flying around in the air and legs kicking so much they smack the table. 

The Huntress chuckled openly. “So I’ve noticed.” Her cup clinked down as she leaned in, sitting opposite Roman now. “And what is such a remarkable boy such as youself doing stealing from a big chain like Dust til Dawn?”

“I …” He bit his lower lip. “I need it to be a Huntsman.”

“You want to slay monsters?”

“Kinda. I just have two more years of training at Signal and being trapped with my dad. And then I’m gunning straight for Beacon! You see, my brother – half-brother – is planting roots there this year, and he wants to become a Huntsman too, and I’m trying that because it pays well and doesn’t cost much when you get down to it. My mom always taught us to help people in need, so I figured, ‘Okay let’s go make some money out of it’!” He giggled briefly, hands waving animatedly and speech speeding up. “I mean, I was never gonna be in the police, so Huntsmen and Huntress were the obvious choice and they’re badass and cool and exciting and really, gods, y’know!” Letting out a high squeal, he bounced out of his seat, hands on the table and lips drawn in a wide confident smile.

The two Hunters blinked at him.

The woman smiled gently. “You know who I am, don’t you?”

“Would it help me get in if I said yes?” Her eyebrows raised. “You’re Professor Salem. Headmistress at Beacon.”

“Nice to meet you.” Roman nodded back in kind. “You want to attend my school?” His nodding became faster before she tapped the brim of his hat to stop him. “Well, alright.” 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hours later, Roman found his feet lifted off the ground, kicking desperately against his brother’s solid legs as he struggled to escape the breath-stealing hug. 

“I can’t believe my baby brother is coming to Beacon! This is gonna be great!”

Seeing the kicking did nothing, the smaller brother ragdolled, murmuring, “Please stop.” He was finally dropped to the ground and his brother left him to get up from the floor alone.

“But I’m so proud.” Without looking at him Roman knew he was pulling that stupid fake pout that got their dad to do anything he asked.

“Really Merc, it was nothing.”

“What do you mean? It was awesome. Everyone at Beacon is gonna think you’re the cat pajamas!” Mercury hoisted an arm around Roman’s shoulders, tugging him in close and ruffling his hair violently. 

Roman groaned, “I don’t want to be the cat’s pajamas, okay?” He tried to push his brother away. “I don’t wanna be any kind of pajamas! I just wanna be a normal guy with normal pajamas.”

“You’re not hyped?”

“Of course I am. I just …” He sighed. “I got bumped two years. I don’t want all eyes on me.”

Mercury’s eyes softened and his eyebrows scrunched in upset. His other arm wrapped around Roman’s shoulders, hugging him softly and petting his head. “I’ll keep them off you if you wanna snatch anything. Besides,” he let Roman go and punched him in the shoulder hard. “you’re special. People are gonna look at you anyway.” Before Roman could retort, a newscast on the Vale News Network attracted the youngest brother’s attention, a woman’s voice talking over a mugshot of a black-haired woman in a red cape.

“The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Ruby Rose, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on her whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Cyril.”

The channel flipped to newscaster Cyril Cobalt, accompanied by a photo of several Faunus demonstrators holding picket signs. “Thank you, Lisa. In other news, today’s Faunus Civil Rights Protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the demonstration. The once peaceful organization has now ..”

The newsfeed cut off, instead being replaced with a young man in a cobalt cape.

“Hello and welcome to Beacon.”

Mercury propped an arm against his brother’s shoulder. “Whozzat?”

“My name is Adrian Cotta-Arc.”

“Oh.”

Holographic projections popped up all along the corridor of the airship, all still of Adrian. All heads turned to any one at a time, but Roman’s eyes flitted between each other them, lightly spinning on his heel until Mercury held him still facing one. 

“You are among the privilged few who have received the honour of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! The world is experiencing an unforeseen time of peace, and as future Hunters, it is your duty to support it. You have demonstrated the skills and courage required for such a task, and now it is our time to provide you with the knowledge and training to protect your beloved world.” As soon as they appeared, the holograms were gone, and Adrian blipped off all monitors, replaced quickly by the resumed news broadcast.

In that wake students began scattered to the screen windows, hands pressed up and calling out to their friends to see the view below. Mercury was among them, Roman tucked into his arm, and braced his free hand against the glass to stare down at the academy with a broad smile on his lips. 

“Woah!” Roman nudged his hat to uncover his eyes. “Can’t believe you can see Signal from here. I guess home is pretty close.”

“Beacon’s home now, and – ” The shrill scream of another passenger cut him off curtly, embers and sparks coming off her fingers as she ran past the brothers, who simply stared after her with wide eyes and retreating postures. “Okay, well maybe not everyone is gonna be great here.”

“Nice while it lasted, at least. I just hope the others have more control than Hot Rod over there.”

“Whoa! Boot on fire, boot on fire!”

“Away from me! Get away from the cane! This was expensive!!”


	2. The Shining Beacon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman and Mercury have landed at Beacon!

Nobody was out of the airship doors faster than the girl with fire still flying off her hands, which had now spread up to her shoulders. Pushing past Roman and Mercury she dropped to the floor to roll around, efficiently putting out the flames and dirtying her back, her grimace laced with relief. While Roman stared at her as he passed, Mercury grabbed his brother’s head and tilted it up to stare at the beautiful sight that was Beacon Academy. 

Seeing his brother’s gaped expression, Mercury chuckled, “The view from Vale’s got nothing on this, huh?”

The moment was quickly broken, however, via Roman’s awe breaking into a mischievous and excited grin, spying every weapon and fancy piece of tech within his range. Stars practically appeared in his eyes as he rambled on. “Ohmygods, Merc! That girl’s got a collapsible staff, that’s bound to be worth something! And he’s got a fire sword! People’ll pay serious Lien for that!” Before he could get any further, Mercury’s hand yanked him back by the scruff of his neck. 

“Easy, Romeo. They’re just weapons.”

“Just weapons? They’re an extension of someone’s personality, hand-crafted to be perfectly replicant! They’re part of us!” A long and dreamy sigh whimpered out. “And they’re worth so much money.”

“Oh?” All of a sudden Melodic Cudgel was in Mercury’s hands instead of on Roman’s belt, and Roman was trying to snatch it back. “What’s wrong with your own? You not happy with it?” He managed to grasp the barrel and tug it back to himself, hugging the cane close and checking it for scratches. 

“How dare you. I just like seeing new things is all. It’s like meeting new people …” His shoulders sagged as a gaggle of students flocked past him, all carrying luggage and a colourful barrage of weapons. “without the whole talking thing.”  
Mercury groaned, grabbed his brother’s hat and scruffed up Roman’s hair, minding himself to not disrupt the bangs covering his eye. “Roman, come on, why don’t you go try and make some friends of your own?” A scowl shot at him and the hat was given back, fixed back on its owner’s head. 

“Why would I need friends?”

And then Mercury was gone. Gone in a flurry of unintelligable ramblings and abandonment, leaving Roman alone, dizzy-eyed, and spinning on his heels with only a goodbye to serve as a tracker. A dozen thoughts spun through his head as he toppled down – a couple probably escaped his mouth too. It didn’t help when a neon blue screen with scrolling white text was shoved into his face.

\--What is happening here?!--

“Sorry!” He scrambled onto his hands, spotting the cases he had apparently crashed into, and attempted to collect a couple in his arms. After glancing up quickly, Roman blinked rapidly. The girl before him was even shorter than him, though he was on the floor so she was glaring down at him, with a elegant blend of pink and white hair going down her back, the scalp decorated with brown streaks that looked vaguely familiar. Snapping out of his stupor he noticed her frantic typing appearing on her Scroll screen.

\--Sorry?! Do you have any idea as to how much damage you’ve caused?--

He wasn’t a fast reader.

\--Give me that!--The girl snatched the luggage from his arms as he clambered to his feet, one case staying in her arms while the others got dropped to the floor again. He wished he’d grabbed one and run, because the second it popped open, at least two hundred Lien of Dust was revealed and Roman’s jaw dropped. –This is Dust. Mined and purified from the Ironwood quarry mines! --

“Uhhhh …”

A vial of red Dust unclipped and landed in her free hand, the other continuing to type. --What are you, brain-dead?-- The case clattered to the floor. --Dust! Fire, lightning, water, energy in general!--

“I, I know – ” Nope, no talking. The Dust was flinging into his face as the girl began gesturing wildly with the vial. 

\--Are you even seeing what I’m saying? Is any of this sinking in? What do you to say for yourself?!-- In the midst of all the light and Dust apparently Melodic Cudgel had clattered to the floor behind the girl, and Roman’s eyes latched to it when a clearing in the cloud of Dust appeared momentarily. The girl’s foot shifted toward the trigger. Before he could do anything to block the flare that shot from the barrel, the shotgun-cane fired off and everything went up in flames, snowflakes and lightning around the two students. The vial went flying from the girl’s hand, clattering to land at someone’s feet across the courtyard, the Ironwood Dust Company vines entangled to print on glass. 

Covered in soot from head to toe and flat on her butt, the girl attempted to dust herself off, scowling when Roman tried to help her up.

“I’m real sorry!”

She smacked his forehead, getting up herself.

\--Aren’t you a bit young to be here?--

“I-I, uh …”

She sighed silently. Then the angry creases along her forehead softened and she went back to typing, fingers less violent. --This isn’t an ordinary combat school, you know. Not just sparring and practice. You’re here to fight monsters, so watch yourself, okay?--

“I .. Yeah, I’m sorry, Miss …” His eyes took in her hair again. “Politan?”

“It’s Ironwood, actually,” a new voice commented. Sandal heels clicked along the stone courtyard as the person holding the vial entered the conversation, book tucked under their arm and green hair framing their face evenly. “Neo Ironwood, heiress to the Ironwood Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world.”

Neo hesitantly nodded to the statement. Her neck seized a little but instead of drawing more attention she reached to take the vial, only for it to be pulled away slightly.

“The same company infamous for the controversial labour forces and questionable business partners, right?” The new person took Neo’s hand and pressed the vial into her palm rather forcefully, though it didn’t show on Neo’s face whether or not it hurt. Her hands looked callous, it probably didn’t. In turn, Neo bit her lip and strode away, casting a brief glance toward a smiling Roman before leaving the courtyard entirely.

At the last second, Roman ran up a little and called, “I promise I’ll make this up to you!” He sighed. “At least I’m not the only one having trouble talking to people … So, what’s …” The other conversationalist had already left in the opposite direction, heels clicking in their wake. Knowing he would simply be turned away, he slumped to the floor, starfishing out on his back. “Welcome to Beacon.”

Not five seconds later a shadow leaned over him, prompting him to crack open his eyes a little. The girl who caught fire was there. Her ashen hair shifted as she held out a hand to help him up. 

“Hey … I’m Cinder.”

“Roman.” She hauled him up once he grabbed her hand. “Aren’t you the girl who set herself on fire?” The girl chuckled, ashamed.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The two students kept talking as they walked amongst the Beacon yards, passing scenic trees and curving architecture that reminded Roman of the pictures of Atlas he’d seen. The girl had led them down toward a river, which they walked along casually.

“All I’m saying is that spontaneous combustion is a much more common occurance for those with fire Semblances than people let on.” She’d been going on about this for a couple minutes now, and Roman laughed openly at her arguments for it before wiping a tear from his eye.

“Look, I’m sorry! Hot Rod was the first thing that came to mind.”

“Oh, really? What if I called you Explosion Boy?”

“Hey, that was not my fault.”

The girl slid to the left of Roman, taking up her pace closer to the water just in case. “Well, the name’s Cinder Fall! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue – people love it.”

Roman raised an eyebrow. “Do they?”

“I’m sure they will. I hope so. My dad always said … Nevermind.”

A short awkward silence fell across them. Tilting his head slightly and putting his hand to his belt, Roman smiled slightly and pulled out Melodic Cudgel, tapping it against the ground gracefully. “So … I’ve got this thing!” Cinder reared back a little before peering at the weapon skeptically.

“Is that a cane?”

“It’s also a customized high-impact rifle!” he replied smugly.

Cinder blinked. Roman leaned Cudgel against his shoulder.

“It’s a gun-cane.”

“Oh. That’s cool!”

“You got anything good?”

Cinder blinked in surprise and unsheathed a few arrows from their holster on her back. “I have these! They’re made of glass.” Smiling at Roman’s awed expression and hovering hands, she retrieved a bow, crafted in a similar fashion, and balanced one of the arrows on the bowstring to aim it squarely at a tree.

Roman reached out and tapped the balanced arrow gently. “So, what do they do?”

Her attempt at swatting his hand away quickly spiralled into all unsheathed arrows flickered back into their scabbard and the bowstring wobbling until Cinder slotted it up into the bow’s body. The bow lodged itself on her hip. “The bow’s string goes into the body, so when I want to put it away, I can just … do that …”

“But … that doesn’t really help.”

“Yeah, I know.” Her shoulders slumped dejectedly. 

Chuckling, Roman nudged her with his shoulder. “Well, I’m kind of savvy when it comes to styling and stuff, so I guess I maybe went a little under what I’m used to when designing this one.” He had far more elaborate designs back in the day, but they were all too unwieldy. And expensive.

“You made that?”

“Partially. All students at Signal forge their own weapons. I just found a loophole! Didn’t you make yours?”

Her hand brushed the bow’s body scarcely. “The bow’s a hand-me-down. My great-great-great grandmother used it to fight in the war.” She blinked away the blurring of her eyesight, instead keeping her sight trained on Roman.

“Sounds more like a family heirloom.” Melodic Cudgel clipped back into its holster on his belt. “Well, I like it! Not many people appreciate the classical look nowadays, and those can cost a pretty penny.”

“Yeah, classical …”

Another bought of awkward silence highlighted by Cinder’s dejected look made Roman decide to continue walking, which Cinder followed him in. “So why did you help back there? In the courtyard?”

“Why not?” She kicked at a renegade stone, which landed in the water. “My dad always says strangers are just friends you haven't met yet’.”

“Hmm.” His head whipped around in just about every direction. “Hey, where are we going?”

Cinder mimicked his motions before she put a hand to her face and pulled out her Scroll, frantically searching for a map online as Roman giggled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE!
> 
> I got this chapter done a *lot* faster than I thought I would, and I'm not the type of person to sit on things for a long time. So here we are!
> 
> Comments and criticism are appreciated!
> 
> Kisses!  
> ~Admin Neon


	3. The Shining Beacon, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One friend found, a probable enemy made, and an annoying brother to boot, Roman tries to get through the first night at Beacon.

As soon as Cinder had led them into the auditorium, which was already piled full with students, Mercury began waving Roman over, calling something unintelligible. Roman grinned.

“Hey, I gotta go. I’ll see you after the ceremony, yeah?” 

“Wait!” Useless. Roman was jogging off, weaving in and out of the crowd and clusters of people. Cinder let her head loll back a little and sighed deeply. “Great. Where am I supposed to find another nice, weird guy to chat with?” Strolling away with her arms crossed, Cinder failed to notice a pair of hazel eyes trained directly on her.

Mercury grinned and propped his hands behind his head upon Roman’s approach. He briefly peeked around him too, surveying Cinder slightly, before actually initiating with his little brother. “How’s the first day going, Romeo?”

“You mean since you ditched me and I blew a hole in the side of a cliff?” Roman glared up at him through his bangs as he fixed his hair and hat. Mercury whistled.

“Wow, already?”

“Yeah, some girl stepped on Cudgel and blasted a flare in my face! And there was fire, and ice …”

“Oh,” the older smirked broadly and put his hands on his hips. “you’re being sarcastic.” 

Scoffing, Roman continued to ramble as Mercury’s eyes widened a little, his smirk widening gradually, “I wish! I tripped over some ice cream girl’s luggage, and then her Scroll started flashing words at me, and then she stepped on Cudgel, and then everything exploded, and then she started texting even more, and I felt really, really bad, and now I just wanna apologise to her!” By that point he was gripping the rim on his hat tightly, tugging it to cover his eye and ears; so it was no surprise that he shrieked and fell into Mercury when an airhorn blasted in his ear. Thankfully the latter was able to catch him under the arms and prop him back up to face Neo, who held her Scroll firmly with her eyebrows furrowed.

\--You’re so jumpy! Wish I’d known that when you blew up a cliff!--

“Oh my Gods, you really did it.”

“It wasn’t my fault.” Once brushed off, Roman waved his hands, attempting to apologise again to Neo. All he got in response was a wall of text and a linked article to a Dust usage site, but anything projected was lost on him again. Not a fast reader.

She obviously caught on from the last time. --You wanna make things up to me?—Roman nodded in his stupor. She tugged his Scroll from out of his pocket, typed something in and shoved it back into his hands. --Look at the website.--

Mercury knew a patchy relationship when he saw one, so he slung his arms around the shorter students and stood between them. “Look, it sounds like you two got off on a really wrong foot. Why don’t you just start over and try to be pals, yeah?”

“Great idea, Merc.” Clearing his throat, Roman stuck out his hand with a smile. “Hi there, Neo. I’m Roman. Wanna hang out some time? We can go shopping or something.”

Neo rolled her eyes with a pout and turned away from him. Her attention became quickly transfixed on where Headmistress Salem and Adrian were now on a broad stage at the front of the auditorium, Salem before a microphone. She tapped it slightly and the feedback drew the attention of every head in the room. 

“I’ll … keep this brief.” Adrian rolled his eyes beside her. “You have travelled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your artistry and acquire new skills, and when you have completed all this, you plan to dedicate your lives to the protection of this world and its people.” Eyes narrowed slightly, Salem scanned over the hundreds of students before she sighed. “But when I look amongst you, all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose and direction.” She continued even amongst the whispers breaking out. “You assume knowledge will release you from all this, but the time you spend here will prove that knowledge can only carry you and your duties so far. It is truly up to you to take the first step.”

As quickly as Salem arrived on the stage she was gone, and Adrian took his stride to the microphone in her wake. He began to direct students toward the ballroom for the night to prepare for initiation, but Mercury and Roman’s eyes trailed after Salem. 

“She seemed kinda … off.”

“Like she wasn’t even there.” Beside Roman, Neo pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ballroom was much comfier and spread out than Roman expected, especially considering the amount of students had come to initiation. He and Mercury had chosen a spot dead in the middle rows of sleeping cots, with Mercury already off talking to people like some sort of socialite, as Roman scribbled into a notebook. The page was already decorated with numbers and random abbreviations for several things when Mercury crashed into the cot next to him, decked out in pajamas.

“It’s like one huuuuge slumber party!” 

Roman didn’t look up as his brother spoke. “I don’t think Dad would approve of all the company.”

“I know I do.” Rolling onto his front, Mercury purred and soaked in the sight of muscular girls and shirtless boys until Cinder – simple nightgown and all – waved at him from a couple rows over. He cringed and went back to Roman. “Hey, what’s that?”

“Keeping track of my spending again. It’s not something I can give up so easily, you know this.”

“Romeooooo!” A pillow slammed down hard into Mercury’s face.

“Shut it! Not like I have anything better to do.” Slamming his book shut and tucking it under his pillow, Roman tucked his arms behind his head and laid back. “It’s weird having to talk to people and not knowing anyone.”

“What about Cinder? She’s … less awkward than you. There you go! Plus one friend. Hundred percent boost.”

Roman shot back to sitting up, scowling. “Pretty sure Neo doesn’t count. So back down to zero I go.” Mercury glared at him like he was in a padded cell.

“You’re insane, right?” Another pillow tried to suffocate him, this one looking like a Goliath and pinned until he kicked his little brother off. “Look, it’s only been a single day. Trust me. You’ve got potential friends and business partners all around you! Just haven’t put yourself out there yet.” 

Before he could continue his brotherly pep talk, the two brothers turned around at the shoulder of a lighter being unclipped. The person holding it, green framing their face evenly, red eyes lit up by the flicker of flames, allowed the lighter to carry to a single candle next to them before tucking it away again. They then sat against the wall, a book opened in their lap and attention immediately on the pages rather than the softly burning candle.

Roman blinked, mouth slightly ajar. “That person …”

“You know them?”

“Eh, not really. They saw what happened with Neo, but left before I could say anything.” 

Mercury’s eyes immediately lit up. Grinning widely, he grabbed Roman’s arm and lifted him up to drag him toward the person by the candle. 

“Wait! What are we doing?”

Eyes lifted over the edge of the book to see the boys approaching them, the smaller unsuccessfully struggling against his brother’s grip. He only let go once they were both in front of them.

“Hey-aaaaa!” Mercury called, pressing the book down so the person couldn’t avoid the conversation. “I believe you might know my brother?”

“Aren’t you that boy with the shotgun cane?” The reader looked at Roman incredulously with their eyes occasionally darting back to glance at Mercury.

“Yeah. My name’s Roman, but you can just call me Explosion – “ His momentary smile faltered under their gaze and a hand flew to the nape of his neck, scratching at the veins there in nervous twitches. “Actually, yeah, just call me Roman.”

Nobody present looked comfortable, so the stranger yanked their book from Mercury’s grasp and tucked their head back into it. Hands now free Mercury grabbed his brother around the neck, tugged him toward him and frantically whispered in his ear, “What are you doing?”

“I don’t know – help me.”

“So!” He flung his arms out, releasing his brother again. The stranger peered up through their bangs. “What’s your name?”

A sigh. “Emerald.”

“Well, Emerald, I’m Mercury, Roman’s big brother. I like your gloves.”

“Thanks,” Emerald growled, irritation beginning to seep into their voice. 

“Just saying, they go great with your … hair, I guess.” He trailed off. It was extremely difficult to compliment someone who didn’t hold up well in a conversation, and who didn’t seem to be looking to continue one in the first place. Emerald hoped that point was evident enough, so they tried to bury their attention back into their book. “Nice night, right?”

“Yes!” They slammed the book shut. “It’s lovely. Almost as lovely as this interesting book!” Mercury, hands raised slightly in reflex to the loud noise, stepped to the side a little so he was in front of Roman. “That I will continue to read as soon as you leave me alone.”

Mercury crossed his arms and tried to usher his brother away, muttering under his breath about Emerald being a lost cause, but Roman side-stepped around him. Sitting on his calves and putting his hands on his knees, he peered curiously at the book in their hands.

“What’s it about?”

“What?” Their eyes widened in surprise. Both at his question and in how he approached them. His voice was softer now, quieter. Much quieter than his brother.

“Your book.”

“It’s … it’s about a woman with two minds, one her own and the other belonging to her estranged mother.”

Before he could make a quip about it Mercury got swatted in the leg by his brother. Admittedly, it didn’t hurt, but he was still surprised at Roman’s nonchalance in the action.

“Stories are nice. Mercury used to read to me once a week if he wasn’t busy. Stories about heroes and monsters and villains …” Roman’s lips quirked in a soft smile. “They’re one the reasons I considered becoming a Huntsman at all.”

Emerald smiled slightly and chuckled under their breath. “And that’s why? Hoping you’re going to live happily ever after?”

“No such thing.” Emerald blinked at him, nodding as their book came to rest on their lap instead of in their hands. “As a kid, I was more entertained with all those quests and treasures … Something worth fighting for, and trying to fix something by the end of the day.”

“That’s … pretty rational for a kid.” Even though it was momentary, Emerald’s smile flickered to their lips. However, a distant and unreadable look glazed over it quickly. “Unfortunately, reality likes to sabotage what we try to fix.”

Roman’s smile faltered a little, but he reached out and pressed a gentle hand to the cover of Emerald’s book. “That’s why we’re here.”

It was a nice moment. A wonderful one, in fact, until Mercury hauled his brother up off the floor in a bear hug, Roman’s legs kicking out in retaliation. “I’m so proud of my baby brother!” Instead of releasing him when Roman tried pushing away, Mercury squeezed him tighter. Emerald was happy to simply observe, sighing softly in memory of the interrupted conversation. 

The tussle only came to an end several seconds later when Neo stormed over, pajama-clad and a foldable fan between her fingers. As Roman trapped Mercury’s arm in his own, she swatted at him and smacked the fan over his head before pressing a finger to her lips. Roman immediately let go and clamped a hand over his mouth. 

“Oh, not you again!” Mercury yelled, Neo wincing slightly.

“Merc, she’s right! People are sleeping!”

Neo rolled her eyes and glared at Mercury in distaste.

“What’s your deal with my brother? He’s being nice to you, be grateful!”

Emerald, rolling their eyes as well at the one-sided argument, simply blew out the candle and forefitted any other attempts at interaction for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading Chapter Three!
> 
> This one was really fun to write, I like Emerald and their general aura in this chapter. 
> 
> Comments and criticism are appreciated!


	4. The First Step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Roman and Mercury make their way to initiation, we meet some new friends and catch up with a couple old ones.

He was barely looking forward to this. Initiation, frankly speaking, was a waste of time if he’d already been accepted. However, his small friend was much more eager, as evidenced by the wavy purplish-brown hair hanging in his face as he blearily opened his eyes. The smaller boy was already leaning over him, dressed and grinning like a madman. 

“Wake up, sparky!” 

As his friend scampered off, the young man still on the floor sat up with a groan.

“It’s morning! It’s morning! It’s mo-orning!”

He sighed again and pushed up off the floor. His friend didn’t stop talking while they were in the student bathroom, the taller trying to fix his hair and the smaller adjusting his outfit sporadically as if he wasn’t already fine as is. 

“I cannot be-lieve we’ve been at Beacon for an entire twenty-four hours! I honestly figured we’d get kicked out by now! I mean, you’re probably way too smart for this place and I’m – well, we don’t talk about me! But it’s weird, y’know?”

Grabbing his friend by the scruff of the neck, he dragged him back to ballroom to help clearing up. Instead his friend kept talking and talking as he kicked his packed-up sleeping bag around and braided his ponytail. 

“We’ve been friend for so long! What are the odds you’d still be with me? Not like, “with me-with me”. Not that I’m saying you’re not incredible; you are really incredible, but that’d just be crazy, right?”

More hair-dragging and this time to the cafeteria. Even food couldn’t shut him up. Not that he particularly minded, it filled the silence that both of them were so uncomfortable with. Muffling, however, was an option.

“Right! What was I even thinking! But still, I hope we end up on the same team!” The small boy tore right through his breakfast waffles, lifting the plate to drink the syrup before slamming it back down, grin bright. “We should figure out a plan, to make sure we end up together! What if we blackmail the headmistress?” Narrow eyes peered at him incredulously. “No, you’re right. She has a school.”

His motormouth was coming to head once they finally hit the locker room, suited up and ready for battle spare their weapons. As he fiddled with the cables in his hands running up his sleeves, his friend frantically sharpened up the folding blades on his bracers. 

“We could have a signal, then! A secret signal, so we can find each other in the forest!” From his bench, he flopped down, bracers equipped and eyes brightly staring at the taller of the pair. “Can you imitate a Creep?”

Finally, with a smile, he replied, “Tyrian?”

“Yeah, Watts?”

“I don’t think Creeps are heard all that much.” Watts slammed his locker shut and leaned against it, arms crossed and cables curled around his biceps and forearms under his coat sleeves. Quizzically, Tyrian blinked at his friend for a moment before lighting back up. He bounced off the bench and onto his feet.

“Exactly! It’s perfect! No one will suspect you’re working with me!” He was obviously proud of himself. Watts wasn’t about to take that away from him. 

Instead he shook his head, smiled, and began to leave. “Come on Tyrian, let’s go.”

“Not like “with me-with me” or anything …” He chuckled to himself and trailed after Watts faithfully. 

Careful to not attract the energetic boy’s attention, Roman peeked around his locker and watched the pair trail out. “Wonder what those two are talkin’ about.” Behind him, Mercury sat on another of the benches, tugging on his boots and rolling his ankles to stretch them out. 

“Oh, who cares? You seem awful chipper this morning.”

“Yessir!” Roman rummaged through his locker. “No more awkward small talk or getting-to-know-you crap today! Now, I get to let my darling do the talking for me.” Melodic Cudgel cradled in his arms for a moment, he slipped in down to his hip and clipped it it his belt. Mercury rolled his eyes, Talaria clanking a bit as he strode over and patted his brother through his hat. 

“Remember, Romeo, you’re not the only one going through initiation. If you wanna grow up, you’re gonna have to interact with people and learn to share!” He mocked in a condenscing tone. He knew it annoyed Roman to no end, just being talked down to, and he was able to dodge the slap Roman aimed at his arm. 

Groaning, Roman slammed himself against his locker, knocking the door shut. “You sound stupid! First of all, what does meeting people have to do with any of this?! And secondly,” he got up in his brother’s space, pointing accusedly into his chest. “I’m much more grown up than you. May I remind you who pays the rent and monthly costs back home?”

“And what about team formation?” 

…

He hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“I don’t know, I … I’ll just be on your team! Easy.”

Mercury inhaled sharply through his teeth. His hand reached up and began carding through his hair repeatedly, desperately trying to shakle off the tremors that flowed before they hit his feet. “Maybe you could be on someone else’s team? Like Neo’s or –“ 

“My dearest brother Mercury, are you implying that you don’t want to be on a team with me?”

“No! No, no, of course! I just figured … maybe it would help you break out!”

“I don’t need to break out, or whatever that means! That’s just –“

Roman trailed off on his tirades, half of his speech just becoming random growls and mumbles before he went back to yelling at his brother. Aside from him, Cinder scampered past, kitten heels clicking against the floor and head whipping around in slight distress. 

“There is no way I put my gear in locker 636 yesterday. I would’ve remembered passing the 630 mark.” 

She tugged out her Scroll and flicked into her notes. She continued to search as she passed Neo, who was already prepped perfectly and standing beside a young man in a long broadcoat.

\--Hazel, have you given thought to whose team you’d like to be on? I’m certain everyone must be doubling over themselves to unite with such a strong, well-known warrior.--

Hazel’s gaze dipped a little before he smiled down at her. “I’m not sure. I was merely planning on accepting what I’m given.”

If Neo could she would pinch herself. Instead she excitably typed into her Scroll, the wall of text popping up soon after. --I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together.-- She was sure her composure on the outside was enough to distract from how quickly she put that in. 

“Well, that’s sounds nice.”

\--Great!--

Smiling brightly as she could, Neo quickly swung open her locker and ran through her plan in her mind, an almost manic smile decorating her face in replacement. She rapped her fingers against her Scroll and nodded to herself – of course he would want to be on her team, and she would be on his! They were both so powerful in their crafts and if they got two other perfect teammates, nothing would stand in their way. Everything was so wonderful about this, it almost made her lose composure entirely. 

Unfortunately, her train of thought derailed with the arrival of Cinder, who slammed Neo’s locker door shut and stepped between her and Hazel. “You know what else is great? Me. Cinder Fall. Nice to meet you.”

Neo whipped around, eye twitching slightly, but she barely had the time to type anything before Hazel stepped around Cinder and aligned himself in Cinder’s gaze. All Neo could do was look on in disbelief. “Nice to meet you too, Cinder.”

“Yeah, yeah.” The taller of the girls nudged her way aside from Hazel, leaning up against Neo’s locker again. She was posing. Obviously, at that. “So, Neo, couldn’t help but see you and Roman chatting about me the other day.”

Was she serious? Cinder thought Roman and her were talking about her. Neo rolled her eyes as violently as possible and tightened her grip around her Scroll. 

“No need to feel embarrassed. It’s understandable. So, I’ve been hearing rumors about teams! I was thinking that maybe you …” she tapped a finger to Neo’s forehead lightly. “and me might make a good one! What do you say?”

Neo was seriously about to break this girl’s hand. She would much rather be talking to Hazel again, or Roman, or even her pseudo-father over Cinder! 

Thank everything that Hazel stepped in again, separating the progressively rabid Neo from the increasingly flirtations of Cinder. “Actually, I think teams are formed of four students, so – “ 

“You don’t say.” New target. “Well, hot stuff, play the right cards and you might end up on the winning team.”

Bright blue flashed into Cinder face, a Scroll being shoved in her direction with white text appearing. She needed to put a stop to this. NOW. --Cinder, was it? Do you have any idea as to who you are talking to?-- Cinder peered behind the Scroll and, despite the furious look on its holder’s face, continued to hold that flirtatious tone.

“Not in the slightest, snow cone.”

Hazel waved slightly. “Hey.”

Instead of dignifying the name with a proper answer, Neo bought up article after article of Hazel’s achievements. Graduation from Sanctum, winning the Mistral Regional Tournaments four years in a row, appearing on cereal boxes – only that last one got Cinder’s attention. She gasped.

“That was you?” She clapped and bounced lightly. “But they only do that for star warriors and cartoon characters!”

“Yeah, it was nice. The cereal isn’t too healthy for you, though.”

Neo stormed back into their frame of reference beside Hazel, glaring at Cinder once more and cocking an eyebrow. Cinder immediately crumbled and her shoulders sagged in realization. “Oh … uh, sorry.”

As she hung her head, Hazel smiled softly and lifted it back up by her chin. “Actually, Cinder, I think you would make a fine teammate!”

“Oh, stop it!” And she was back to being brighter than the sun.

\--Really, do stop. This shouldn’t be encouraged in any way.--

“Sounds like Hazel’s on board for Team Cinder. Spots are filling up quick! Now, I’m not really supposed to do this, but maybe I could pull some strings, pick out a place.” Her hands sizzled a little as she leaned down just so to get in Neo’s personal space. That was enough. Officially and physically uncomfortable, Neo snapped her fingers and shattered into glass at Cinder’s feet, shaking the taller girl visibly until she reappeared behind her.

Cinder only managed to look back in time to catch the sight of Neo’s umbrella before it smacked into her gut, sending her flying into a pillar. Satisfied, Neo strutted past Hazel with her right hand on her hip and Hush still in her left. 

Hazel called, “Apologies.” after Cinder.

An announcement began to play over the speakers across the locker room, attracting everyone’s attention. It was Adrian again. “Would all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first year students to Beacon Cliff immediately.”

Neo passed Cinder, delivering her another smack – this time to her hip, followed by Hazel, who waved to her meekly. She waved back, slumping back against the pillar and rubbing her hip until Mercury and Roman approached, wherein she grabbed Roman’s extended hand to help her up. 

“Having troubles there, Hot Stuff?” 

“I don’t understand. My dad said that all people look for is confidence! What did I do wrong?”

Roman cringed a bit. “Maybe don’t go with “snow cone” next time. Let’s go.”

Mercury led the two out of the locker room and up to the cliff. Said cliff turned out to overlook a red yet lucious forest, and was decorated with several metal platforms – one for each student – that were obviously painted over. Roman could make out a bit of rust through the silver paint. Before the lined up students were Professor Salem, holding a teacup, and Adrian, tablet in hand. 

Salem spoke up first. “For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Ruby Forest.”

“Now,” Adrian stepped forward. “I’m sure many of you have heard and spread the rumours about the assembly of teams. Allow us to put an end to your confusion. You will be given teammates … today.”

Roman groaned.

Salem strode to be level with Adrian again, sipping from her teacup. Whatever it was filled with. “These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is your upmost interest that you pair with someone with whom you can co-operate.”

He tugged his hat over his eyes. Nothing could get worse. Nothing.

“That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years. In every sense of the term.”

Multiple shocked gasps and confused murmurs erupted across the first-years, with only Tyrian being the one to speak up, “I knew it! I told you!” obviously directed at Watts.

“After you’ve partnered up, make your way to the southern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the path. Do not hesitate to kill everything in your path … or you will die.”

Roman could hear the nervous laughter from further along the line. 

“You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of this cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?” Cinder raised her hand but instinctively flinched in down again. “Excellent! Take your positions.”

Tyrian huddled down low, practically onto his haunches with his fingertips pressed down to the cool metal. Watts commanded the cables to rest in his hands. Mercury stamped his feet before spreading them apart in a ready position. 

Cinder hesitantly raised her hand again. “Ma’am? I have a … small question.” The tile under Neo raised up into a springboard out her view. The small girl rocketed through the air as other platforms activated down the line. “So, this landing strategy we’re supposed to have. What is it? You’re dropping us off down there?”

“No. You’re falling.”

“Did I miss getting a parachute?”

“No. You will be using yourself and your abilities to land.”

Without her noticing, everyone else had been launched. Mercury had even let out a loud, excited yell as he soared off a second before his brother shot off too. Cinder’s eyes widened by a significant margin as she realized what she was about to do, but it was too late. She was hurled into the air with the others, who made their way down into the forest below under the eyes of their new teachers. 

Salem took another sip from her teacup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another quickly written chapter!
> 
> Chapter 5 should be up later today too, if not then tomorrow, so tune in for that as well.
> 
> Neo was fun to write as always, and Tyrian is gonna be a lot of fun in future chapters too.
> 
> Comments and criticism are appreciated!


	5. The First Step, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First part of the Ruby Forest arc and it's gonna be fun!
> 
> ...
> 
> Well, as long Roman gets a good partner.

Feathers flew. A bird’s flight had been crudely interrupted by Roman, who tumbled through the air in a ball before he tugged loose Melodic Cudgel. He fired a few flares forward from the barrel to slow him down, then turning the cane to fire off the handle like a grappling hook. It caught on the branch of a tree, sturdy enough to support his weight, and it halted him with a jerk. Once completely still, he clicked a button and held on tight as the wire reeled out, lowering him to the forest floor.

Canopy open, Neo was already managing to fall at a slower pace. An illusion-like Nevermore, surrounded by an aura of soft pink and bright white, spread its wings underneath her, allowing her to leap off of it and float closer down to the floor at a more controlled rate. The Nevermore shattered and fell as rapidly disappearing glitter.

As Tyrian soared past at a much faster speed and a grin, Watts spun in the air. The Dust wires in his cables triggered and stone blades structured themselves at the tips, soon stabbed into the trunk of a tree so he could spiral. He hit the ground with a quiet thud, brushing himself off before he caught sight of someone else soaring overhead.

Mercury fired off shot after shot from his Talaria, each shot’s force enough to push him through the air further and further south, spinning and grinning with every blast. Even when he crashed through the crimson leaves, he smiled widely, bouncing off two tree trunks to tumblr to the ground.

“Landing stuck!” He run off as soon as he landed.

From under his coat Hazel pulled a large green Dust crystal and two smaller red ones, the largest shaped like a spear and grasped tight in his right hand, and the other two ending up stabbed into his left bicep. He tumbled through several of the trees and rolled onto a branch, immediately shading his eyes with his free hand to spot Cinder, who was still panicked and now smoking as she rocketed through the air. Hazel took a cooling breath and aimed before throwing the spear, the crystal soaring deep into the forest after Cinder until he heard its impact.

Cinder’s voice echoed out, “Thank you!”

“Apologies!” He leapt down from the branch to search for his weapon and friend.

As quickly as Roman had touched the forest floor he began running. In his mind all he could think of was finding someone a little bit nice to partner with, and as such the first name that came out of his mouth was, “Merc! Mercury!” 

When he got no answer, he rattled off people he knew to himself. There was always Cinder. She was nice and fun! Not very coordinated, at all, but with a little bit of work they could work. 

Emerald was a good option too. They liked books, and the mysterious allure was probably great to keep people from looking at either of them. Then again, he wasn’t exactly psyched about either of them holding a conversation with other teammates, seeing as neither of them were … great at talking. 

Roman shook his head frantically and kept himself focused on running. He only knew those three people here! Well, there was one other, and lo and behold she appeared. Neo turned to face him as he skidded to a halt, just in time for their eyes to meet. 

She promptly turned on her heel and strode away. 

“Wait!” he yelled, almost attempting to follow her. He stopped short and kicked up some of the fallen leaves. “We’re supposed to team up.”

Struggling through the piles of leaves and frequent shrubs, Neo scanned the area frantically for a different partner, in too deep to glance back at Roman. She perked up with she heard a voice from above, but she immediately regretted leaving Roman behind. Cinder was stuck to a tree by Hazel’s crystal spear, legs kicking up and long hair somewhat caught where her glove and hand were pinned to the bark. As she gave up, she glanced down and spotted Neo, sheepishly waving until Neo turned and strutted away to Roman again. Cinder’s head thunked back against the bark.

As she passed him, Neo hauled Roman over her shoulder and continued to walk into the bushes. He didn’t expect this in the slightest, but commented with a hopeful little giggle, “You came back?”

“Wait! Please come back!” Cinder reached out with her free hand before going lax again. “Great. Who’s gonna get me down?”

A voice called up. “Cinder?” She peered down and there was Hazel, smiling up at him. “Do you … have any spots open on your team?”

She crossed her free arm in defiance for a moment, but eventually looked back down, returning the smile. 

Meanwhile, Neo had dropped Roman from her shoulder and was strolling through the forest, gazing up at the trees and falling leaves, while Roman hurried to catch up with her. “What’s the hurry?”

\--I’m not letting anything be delayed by slowness. And if I get a bad grade, Ironwood will – -- She never finished her typing. Instead she stared bemused at a grinning Roman, who suddenly ran up beside her with immense speed, yet no sign of a Semblance. Her lips quirked up.

“I’m not slow! Don’t have anything to worry about.”

She furrowed her brow slightly trying to puzzle out what she just saw, and Roman apparently mistook it as frustration. 

“Neo, just because I’m a penny pincher doesn’t mean I don’t know how to run away! Trust me, you learn to not get caught.” He hooked an arm around Neo’s, linking them like a chain. “You’re about to see a totally different side to me, and after this is over, you’re gonna be like, Woah! That Torchwick guy is really, really great …” he trailed off, peeking at her out of the corner of his eye. “and I wanna give him money.”

He disappeared back out, his coat in a flutter, into the trees and shrubs. All before Neo could grab at the coat to follow him. She looked around a bit, eyes darting, and crackling and rustling erupted from the bushes. She rotated in her place as pair upon pair of red eyes stared at her from between the trees and behind the bushes and advancing on her slowly. In an act of desperation, she clapped loudly and proceeded to point Hush at a Beowolf as it leaped toward her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Out of all of V1, this arc is probably gonna be my favorite to write. We're gonna get a lot more Emerald, who is a delight, and more Neo and Roman interaction to kick off their little partnership, and some Tyrian! 
> 
> Tyrian is always great, guys.
> 
> This chapter was a lil short but hey ho.
> 
> Comments and criticism are appreciated!


	6. The Ruby Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercury finds his partner, Neo and Roman get into a Beowolf showdown, Watts fights a snake, and Hazel has an important conversation with Cinder that she so sorely needs.

He was starting to get bored. 

Okay, he was already very bored. Like, extremely so. 

All Mercury was seeing was trees, bushes, leaves, trees, more trees, ectetera. Not noticing a shadow passing behind him, he cupped his hands around his mouth and called out, “Hello?” He started kicking at the leaves, tossing them up in the air to watch them fall absently. “Is anyone there? Hello?” Something rustled in the bushes. Finally! He jogged over and parted the shrubbery. “Romeo, is that you?”

Something growled lowly instead of speaking, and Mercury’s lips quirked in a smile as he stared up at it. 

“No.”

He quickly rolled to the side as a Griffon charged out of the sea of crimson, getting up and locking Talaria into action as soon as he was upright again. After staring the monster down for a second, another came lunging out behind him, only missing thanks to a left-ways dodge. Its companion ran at him again, only to get knocked back by a shocking kick. The other Griffon soared at him too, and Mercury managed sliding under it smoothly and delivered several kicks and a single punch to send the monster flying back into a tree.

He rolled his ankles. “You guys wouldn’t happen to have seen a boy in a white coat, would’ya?” Growls were not a suitable response so he dodged the swipes aimed toward his face. “Gods, you two couldn’t hit the broad side of a ba …”  
As he reached up to curl his hands into fists again, something splattered onto the back of his knuckles. Something wet. A single drop of blood had smudged against the faux leather of his fingerless gloves and was now sliding between his bare fingers. He could feel the cut on his cheek where the Griffon scratched him bleeding the smallest bit.

“You…” His eyes dipped closed, then ripped back open, dilating down to pinpricks as he screamed. “You monsters!”

A blast of air kicked up upon his foot stamping on the ground, and he rocketed forward, unleashing a combination of tremor-inducing kicks and blows on the offending Griffon. That sent it flying, shattering several trees, as its partner soared low from its new perch, only stopping short under Mercury’s pinprick gaze. 

He flung out his arms, lips twisted into a crude imitation of a smile, blood still trickling down his cheek. “What! You want some, too, yeah?!”

The Griffon bore its claws, completely ready to either be battered to bits or shred the boy to slithers – right when a gentle churring metal noise rattled out and the mosnter squawked out desperately. It fell and revealed one Emerald, sickle revolvers in the Griffon’s back. Mercury went from panting coarsing with adrenaline to sighing in exhaustion as Emerald reclaimed their blades from the corpse. They sheathed Thief’s Respite in leather casings and smiled softly. His eyes zeroed in on them and returned to normal in a blink.

“Ah, I could’ve taken her.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Utterly surrounded by Beowolves, the only thing that deflected an incoming swipe was Hush’s canopy, though Neo herself still got pushed into the centre of the circle again. Holding out the umbrella, a blade shot from the top as she lifted her head, shoulders back, and shuffled her left foot forward as her breathing stopped entirely. She flung her arm out and dashed, aimed to slash at a Beowolf before her –

Only for something in a white coat bearing a cane and trailing gunpowder. A blast shot into the Beowolf’s jaw and it disintegrated instantly.

“Nailed it!” 

Neo, in a panic, swung her blade backwards instead of forward, Hush immediately flying out of her grasp as she tumbled forward. 

Roman was able to catch her roughly. 

The same could not be said for Hush. 

The blade soared and cut through the trunk of a tree entirely, said tree quickly collapsing into another to create a chain reaction of the clearing being caved in cleanly and thoroughly. As soon as Neo was back in her feet a Beowolf was on Roman, giant claws scratching Melodic Cudgel and sending him back into Neo. Her arms flew to catch him, but he set himself upright and fired into the monster’s head before the handle of Cudgel hooked into Hush and flung it back into Neo’s hands. She promptly smacked the back of his head. 

“You’re gonna have to try harder than that to kill me,” he whispered, back to back with his partner, still surrounded by Grimm. 

There was zero time to fight their way out of the situation. There was, however, an opening when the forest’s collapse hadn’t reach yet, so in a blind moment of hope, she grabbed his wrist, took off running and slid them under a collapsing tree out of the clearing and into the wider Ruby Forest. Grimm howling and fleeing rang behind them.

Once a safe ways from the destruction, Roman braced himself against a tree. Neo leaned over herself and rubbed a hand between her eyes as he turned to glare at her. 

“What was that?! That should’ve been easy!”

\--Maybe if you had cooperated a bit with those stupid flares, I wouldn’t have had to divert my strikes!--

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He stepped in closer. He knew full well that he was barely a hair taller than her and little more intimidation factor than a Saint Bernard, so the way she flinched against his gaze made him narrow his eyes. What …

\--Don’t come any closer to me.--

Clenching his jaw, he tentatively took a step back and watched Neo storm off, hands balled around her umbrella and Scroll, threatening to snap both. With an infuriated shriek he aimed Cudgel squarely into the air and let off three flares in perfect sync, one after the other, before he marched angrily after her.

Neither seemed to notice a quiet chirring from an enormous burrow nearby.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flares soared overhead, three in succinct order right after each other. The moment they popped with loud bangs Cinder’s head whipped around, gazing up at the fading lights as she slowed for a second. Hazel followed suit for a moment before continuing on.

“Don’t worry.” Her eyes lingered on the spot where the flares popped while her head turned to Hazel. When she finally made eye contact his expression was soft, a hand coming to rest on her shoulder. “We’re partnered up for a reason. Someone probably just got lost.” Wringing her hands together, Cinder nodded, choosing to distract herself by trotting along after Hazel again. 

They made their way through the shrubs and trees no problem, passing large clearings, clustered with floors made of twigs and leaves likely from the canopies. It was easy to guess that. From what Cinder could tell they were at a higher altitude than the rest of the forest, so the Nevermores probably made their nests on the raised grounds and flat heads of the hills. The nests were cool to look at despite any logic behind them; she never really got the chance living out in – 

“OW!” 

Suddenly she was face down on the forest floor. The jagged ground proved to be her undoing while she was staring at the clearings-turned-nests, now front-first in a cluster of thorned bushes. Hazel immediately rushed back, reaching out his hands to haul her back up and out of the thorns, but the removal just cut Cinder up a lot more, all along her legs and arms and some on her face. Great.

“Are you alright?”

Cinder groaned, but flashed a bright smile up at her partner. “Fine. Just some cuts. Nothing some bandages won’t fix,” she chuckled. Before her hands could go rummaging in the bags on her belt, Hazel caught her wrist as lightly as he could.  
“Just activate your Aura. They’ll heal quicker that way.” 

“My what?”

“Your Aura.” Hazel let go of her wrist and rested his hands on his hips. He had this befuddled look on his face, like she’d said something wrong. It reminded Cinder of her brother. “Cinder, do you know what Aura is?” She shook her head tentatively. “You have your Semblance, right?” She nodded. 

Hazel clapped his hands together, and resumed his soft look from earlier as he took a seat on the ground, beckoning Cinder to sit beside him. Once she did so, he took her calloused hands in his scarred ones.

“Aura is the manifestation of our souls. It bears our burdens and shields our hearts. Have you ever felt you were being watched without knowing someone was there?”

“Ever since I was little.”

“With practice, Aura can be a shield in every sense of the word. Everyone has it, even the animals.”

“And the monsters?”

“Grimm. No. They lack souls, the manifestation of anonymity. They are corruption, and we are innocence.”

“And that’s why Hunters fight them.”

“It’s not about why. It’s about knowing. Understanding the balance helps us manifest our Aura. Everyone has been touched by corruption, but everyone still has their innocence. By baring your soul outward as a force, you can deflect harm. All our tools and equipment are conduits for Aura. You protect yourself and your soul when you fight.”

“Like a force field?”

“More like a guardian angel.”

Shifting both of her hands into the palm of one of his, Hazel pressed his free hand against Cinder’s cheek. “Now, close your eyes and concentrate, please.” She hesitantly did so, and as did Hazel, his skin glowing and the Dust crystals piercing his upper arm glowing fiercely. The glow spread to Cinder, turning from a dull crimson over Hazel to a bright orange over her.

“For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death.” Releasing Cinder’s hands, he pressed his newly free hand to Cinder’s chest. “I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee.”

He was extremely thankful that he suggested they sit down beforehand, because the wave of shock that came with unlocking her Aura would’ve sent his knees buckling. Instead he just released where he was touching his partner and laid his hands flat on his knees, breathing quite heavily. His glow faded promptly, but Cinder’s orange kept washing over her in waves. 

Her eyes flickered open and her hands hovered over Hazel in worry. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. I used my Aura to unlock yours so it can protect you.” He took her hands again and helped her to her feet as he clambered up too. It was only when he heard a slight sizzling that he realized Cinder’s Semblance had activated spontaneously and his skin was roasting a little bit. She clearly hadn’t noticed yet, so he slowly lifted his hands away from hers. “You seem to have a lot of it.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elsewhere, Watts continued along. He’d been walking for close to thirty minutes and 45 seconds now, and still no sign of Tyrian anywhere. As much as he appeared otherwise, Watts despised the quiet. It left him alone with his thoughts and far too often had that landed him in immense trouble, as Tyrian could attest … if he were around. However, seeing as he was not, Watts found himself wandering aimlessly, listening for Grimm and to the gunfire and blades in the background of the forest.

His eyes narrowed suddenly. Something large, thick and pure black rose up behind him, the rumbles against the ground notifying Watts beforehand, so the second it surrounded him with its hissing body, he dodged the piercing fangs before they could strike. The snake’s mouth struck the ground but rebounded to smack a rapidly jumping Watts with its snout. His hands dragging against leaves and buried dirt, he landed in a crouch and the serpent surrounded him again. Cables in his sleeves, decorated with their sharp metal points, sprung from his collar, sleeves and pockets in floating, telekinetic holds, as if they were tethered to his body. He jumped up again and triggered the fire Dust wires inside. The metal points buckled back and arcs of fire released at the monster.

A swift kick followed into its snout and the electric Dust wires triggered, sending bolts of lighting right to its head. It continued to flow around him, though, and bolted to bite at him again, but he flipped and shoved the electrically charged cables into the back of the snake’s head. He only paused for a moment.

There was another head.

Blanker than the snow in Solitas, the white head bore itself from where it was buried under the shining, dying leaves. It launched itself at him and he rolled to dodge, landing in time to watch it sliver toward him so he could get a head start. He dashed toward the black head to slide over its body and send fresh fire at the white one. Apparently they worked at a similar mainframe, but that didn’t prepare him to be struck by the white head’s snout, knocking him off the black section and the cables limp as he lost control. 

Before the colossal snake could have its fill, he gritted his teeth and gripped the fangs that dripped poison around his face, narrowly missing his outfit and arms. A faint, pulsating purple washed over him as one of the cables resumed his control and equipped its metal point again, coming up to slice through the teeth. Now armed with the giant fangs of his enemy, he stabbed one through its eyes and drove the other into its skull. The head blew apart in a blank white mess as the headless body draped helplessly over its twin. Wasting little time, he gripped the fangs again and rushed for the black head.

It happened much the same way, minus the removal of fangs. He didn’t need that mess again. With both corpses withering away almost instantly, the cables retracted back into his jacket as he brushed himself off. He smiled slightly and huffed amusedly when he heard a strange growling noise followed by a “Wait, no.” and a more visceral sound up in the canopy of the trees, at least 30 feet above his head. 

Watts tilted his head up and smiled more clearly, arms crossed and eyes hooded, at the small braided-ponytailed boy perched in the highest branches on his haunches. He was grinning right back. After he swung down to the lowest branches, Tyrian hooked his legs over a branch and hung upside down to meet the eyes of his childhood friend. 

“Did I get it right?”

“I’m still not so sure that’s what a Creep sounds like.”

Instead of pouting huffily, Tyrian grinning brighter and tapped Watts’ nose, squeaking out “Zap!” as he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watts doesn't speak but he's amazingly fun to write choreography for. The idea for his cables were conceived of before Volume Seven, but his revolver will come into play much, much later.
> 
> Anyway, we finally get more Emerald and Mercury, and big shocker! Despite having her Semblance Cinder has zero idea how it actually works due to her upbringing. It'll come into play in later arcs and stuff like that.
> 
> Comments and criticism are appreciated!


End file.
